Unreal
by Toxikchic9
Summary: Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda are juniors in highschool, and take a camping trip over Thanksgiving weekend. Will love's light shine, or will disaster take it's coures? Rated for later chapters
1. Rain

Unreal  
  
Prologue  
  
Miranda stared at the ceiling as the rain pelted her window pane percussively. Thinking over the events of the last few weeks had kept her occupied for 2 hours now. Suddenly a knock on the door interrupted her.  
  
"Miranda, honey, I just wanted to know if you needed anything," asked her mother.  
  
"Just leave me alone." Miranda muttered coldly.  
  
A mere 2 weeks ago she had everything. She had everything but she didn't know it. She had danced through her life without ever taking the time to notice how wonderful it was, and once she finally started to get the picture, it was all taken away from her.  
  
She got up and walked to the window. Watching the gray sky and the rain, a lone tear rolled down her cheek and fell on the ground. Then, suddenly, many more followed, and the silent sobbing filling the room.. 


	2. The best friends ever

Disclaimer: I own nothing. No seriously, I own NOTHING! I'm just a poor fan trying to release her creative energies! So don't sue me. Oh, and please. no flames. Constructive criticism is one thing, but just being cruel is another.  
  
A/N: Ok, I am fairly convinced that Lizzie etc. live in California (so we're assuming that's where they are!) and I'm deciding that they live in northern California because I want it to be close to Hamilton, Montana so that I can make the camping/cabin sequences as real as possible. (We go to a house up there and it's so perfect for this story, so just deal). I'm also arbitrarily deciding that Hamilton is about a 1 day drive from Lizzie's house just because it makes life easier for me, so don't yell at me! I'm trying my best here!! Happy reading!  
  
Chapter 1: The best friends ever  
  
Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo sat under the tree in front of Gordo's house. They had been talking, but soon enough the need for words vanished, and they just watched the leaves of chocolate brown, burgundy, and gold fall. The crisp air hinted of the upcoming winter, but for now, they simply enjoyed the fall.  
  
"Looks like the sun is gonna set soon." observed Gordo.  
  
"Yeah, it's getting late," replied Miranda, without moving.  
  
So they just continued to sit in the cold, enjoying each others company until finally they were forced to go home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next day at school, Miranda dragged herself through the day, until finally she met Gordo and Lizzie in the parking lot to go home. Gordo always drove them home, simply because he was the only one out of all of them who had a car. Having worked countless hours at the Digital Bean, he finally earned enough money to buy himself an old, dingy red Chevy. It was his pride and joy, and it also made him very popular because he actually had a car. It did not compare in any way to Kate's little silver Mazda Miata, or Ethan's blue Mustang, but it suited its purposes. Besides, his car had character. So they all got in and headed to Lizzie's house to study for the dreaded physics test. Meeting them at the door was Matt.  
  
"Hey guys. Gordo, mind if I, you know, take your car out for a little joy ride to pick up some ladies?" Matt asked, grinning that evil little grin of his.  
  
"You know I love you Matt.but no." Gordo replied laughingly.  
  
"Aw, come on! You let LIZZIE ride in that car, and let me tell you, I think that's more hazardous than my driving it!" Matt said.  
  
"MOM!" Lizzie yelled, hoping that Matt would leave, and that he did, dashing out the door so as not to get into trouble.  
  
So the three of them traipsed up the stairs to Lizzie's room, and cracked the books. After a few minutes, Jo came upstairs with a tray of cookies and 3 tall glasses of milk.  
  
"I thought you guys could use a little pick-me-up after working so hard!" she said grinning, "So how's it going guys? Any special plans for Thanksgiving weekend?"  
  
"Everything's fine Mrs. McGuire" Miranda replied, "and we haven't even begun to think of plans yet.."  
  
"I think we should take a break and figure out what we're gonna do. And thanks for the cookies Mrs. McG!" Gordo said.  
  
They had always dreamed of being able to take a trip by themselves for a weekend, and finally, they had convinced their parents that this year they were going to drive out somewhere for Thanksgiving weekend, and take a much needed vacation for the 5 days allotted to them. They had come up with some rather impossible ideas like Miranda's suggestion to "drive across the Atlantic ocean to visit Cannes," or Gordo's idea to visit the Galapagos Islands and film the wildlife. These two ideas were nixed for obvious reasons.  
  
After much pensive chewing Lizzie burst out, "Oh!" and proceeded to say something totally indiscernible while small pieces of cookie spewed out of her mouth all over her friends.  
  
"LIZZIE! CHEW. SWALLOW. THEN TALK!" screamed Miranda, ducking the crumbs flying her way.  
  
"Sorry! I just got the perfect idea though!" squealed Lizzie, "WE SHOULD GO CAMPING!"  
  
"Camping.?"Gordo said, cocking his head to one side and using that I-think- you're-insane voice.  
  
"Yea! It's so perfect! There'll be no distractions and we can be free to do whatever we want and get in touch with nature and "bond". Dad and Matt take 'man-weekends' in the woods all the time. We can drive out to the cabin that Gammy McGuire uses during the summers when she's not teaching wind surfing. There are 3 bedrooms, and it'll be so perfect! Town is 15 minutes away so if we need something we can go, but we'll still be in the 'great outdoors!' Oh! Please guys! It'll be so much fun!" raved Lizzie, hands and blonde hair flying everywhere with her excited gestures.  
  
Gordo's doubtful frown turned into a smile as he saw Lizzie's excitement. With her blue eyes sparkling the way they did, he couldn't ever say no.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm game." He said laughing.  
  
Miranda, however, still had her doubts. Unlike her two comrades, she had never been camping, and from the horror stories she had heard it didn't sound too thrilling.  
  
"Lizzie.in Gammy McGuire's cabin. is there plumbing? Like.toilets?"  
  
"Yea, so it'll have the good parts of camping, and of civilization! It's so nice there! See it has the conveniences of a house, but it's still deep in the woods, and we if we want we can drive down to my aunt's cabin to hangout by the Bitterroot River! Come on Miranda what'd you say?" she said with a pleading look.  
  
"Well.. I think it sounds like fun!" Miranda finally said.  
  
"Oh! You guys are the best friends ever!! OH I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!" she said jumping up and down as she proceeded to run over and give Miranda a hug.  
  
Gordo was standing up to get out of the way when suddenly Lizzie launched herself at him, knocking him over. He suddenly found himself under Lizzie, lying on her bed as he hugged him and said, "I LOVE YOU GORDO! YOU'RE THE BEST FRIEND EVER!"  
  
This was the kind of moment Gordo had been waiting for ever since he had met Lizzie, but unfortunately there were two things wrong with this picture. Firstly Miranda was in the room so he couldn't confess his feelings of undying passion that he had been harboring for years openly without making poor Miranda need serious therapy for years to come. Secondly, it seemed that the word that was echoing in his mind now, and would forever hinder his chances with Lizzie was "FRIEND." Ever since they were little, Gordo had been Lizzie's best friend. But as soon he discovered that she meant something more to him. He watched her every move, and took it in. He memorized her face, and could listen to her voice talking for hours and hours. Sometimes he had too, but it was usually about Ethan Craft, which hurt him. It seemed that Lizzie was lusting after some far away being that she would never be able to have, when right in front of her was someone who wanted to be with her forever. Someone who didn't care about status, looks, or cliques. He was just someone who cared about Lizzie. But she couldn't see that. And thank god he was wearing large pants because, if he hadn't been, she would have definitely gotten a clue about his feelings for her, and exactly how the position she had just put them in was making him feel.  
  
"Um.." he said clearing his throat, " Yeah, you're awesome too Lizzie."  
  
"Awww, get off him Lizzie! You're smothering the poor boy!" shouted Miranda, as she pried Lizzie off of him.  
  
"Hehe, sorry Gordo, just got caught up in the moment!" she said sheepishly.  
  
"That's ok," he replied, combing his unruly hair with his fingers, "I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."  
  
As Gordo ran towards the bathroom at lightening speed, Miranda and Lizzie started planning for the weekend ahead of them.  
  
As they wrote down lists of what they needed to do, and bring, Miranda suddenly said, "You know, this trip is going to be a real adventure. I can just feel it!"  
  
The girls then proceeded to squeal in excitement, and continue getting ready for the trip of a life time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Hope you liked my first installment. Please review! This is my first Lizzie fic, so I'm writing in a style that's pretty different from my usual one. Second chapter coming soon! 


	3. The Long Drive

Disclaimer: I own nothing. No seriously, I own NOTHING! I'm just a poor fan trying to release her creative energies! So don't sue me. Just a friendly reminder: constructive criticism is one thing, but just being cruel is another. Happy reading!  
  
A/N: Ok, um. let's see, thanks for the reviews! Sorry, this one's going to be short, but I'm going to post chapter 3 really soon! Oh yeah, for those of you who are a little confused, the prologue is Miranda in the present, and the rest of the story so far is what happened, and basically what she's remembering. I think that'll make more sense now. sorry for the confusion! It made sense in my head! Ok, anyway, on with the plot.  
  
Chapter 2: The long drive  
  
Gordo began driving at 6 A.M. as Lizzie and Miranda slept. Having both chosen to sit in the back for maximum comfort, Gordo was all alone in the front seat with nothing but the radio and his mind to amuse him. Even with that, he didn't want to turn up the radio very loud and wake his friends, so he eventually turned it off. He glanced in the rearview mirror to see Lizzie sleeping peacefully. Her head leaned against the window, with her hair covering half of her face. The rising sun reflected on her strands of blond hair, transforming it so that it had a pinkish glow. If he didn't need to drive, Gordo probably would have reached out to brush the strands of hair from her face. But alas, the road beckoned.  
  
After about 20 minutes, Miranda woke up to find Gordo humming to himself, in an obvious attempt to stay awake.  
  
"Hey Gordo, what time is it?" Miranda asked, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"It's about 10:00. I'm thinking of pulling into a rest stop for a cup of coffee. I really need caffeine to stay awake."  
  
"Oh my gosh! I didn't realize you'd been driving for 4 hours! Come back here and sleep, and I'll drive!" Miranda commanded.  
  
When they reached a service station, Gordo and Miranda switched places while Lizzie continued to sleep, not even taking notice of what was going on around her. The minute that Gordo buckled his seatbelt, he fell fast asleep. Lizzie turned away from the window, and after many tries at finding comfortable position discovered a shoulder, which she thought belonged to Miranda, and lay her head on it. Gordo, not aware of what he was doing, instinctively leaned in towards Lizzie, using her head as a support for his, and putting his arm around her. Lizzie reciprocated by snuggling closer. Miranda was just about to ask Gordo where he had put the driving directions when she looked back and saw the couple sleeping. She smiled knowingly, and decided to keep her mouth closed and continue driving.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When Lizzie began to wake up, she felt refreshed and very comfortable. She remembered having fallen asleep against the car window, and midway through her nap having changed positions, but she wasn't sure exactly where she was right now. This thought was interrupted by rhythmic moving of whatever her head was leaning on that was accompanied by breathing that certainly wasn't Miranda's. Opening her eyes, she realized that she was leaning on Gordo's chest, and that he had his arms around her. Shocked by this, she quickly moved away, waking up her friend.  
  
"Lizzie.?" Gordo said, blinking.  
  
"Hey Gordo. Sleep well?" she asked, not knowing what else to say.  
  
"Yea.mmm.God, my shoulder hurts" he mused, not knowing why.  
  
"Oh. Sorry Gordo, I woke up and I had kind of been using you as a pillow." Lizzie replied sheepishly.  
  
"That's ok," he said smiling sleepily.  
  
"I see you guys are awake.finally!" called a voice from the front.  
  
"Hi Miranda, where are we?" asked Lizzie, as she looked out of the window.  
  
"Well we passed Salem, Oregon a while back, but it's been 2 hours since I began driving. so I'll drive for another 2, and then Lizzie can take over," she replied, keeping her eyes on the road.  
  
"Wait. are we almost there?" asked Lizzie, somewhat confused.  
  
Gordo began to laugh as he replied, "Do the math Lizzie, we've been driving for 6 hours, and the trip is 14. We still have another 8 to go."  
  
Lizzie swatted his shoulder playfully, as Miranda turned on the radio. After futile attempts at searching for stations, Gordo sat up and reached into the glove compartment. From there he pulled out a CD case that read "Evil Study mix" and told Miranda to pop it into the CD player Gordo had installed. Suddenly the "Olé Song" came booming out of the speakers. Immediately Lizzie began to sing along.  
  
"Bouncing souls, no one can beat us! We drink beer and wear Adidas!" she wailed.  
  
Gordo laughed because she looked so cute, and this was responded to with yet another swat.  
  
"Why don't you sing Gordo? This IS your CD.loosen up!!!" she said as she continued wailing.  
  
Giving in and putting his qualms behind him he let loose and sang with Lizzie all through not only "Olé Song" but also "I Wanna be Sedated" and "My Generation" (A/N: Classic songs people.) Lizzie and Miranda knew all of the words because after a while they finally got used to Gordo's music. After a period of only swing music, and then the idea that all music was an attempt to make people conform, Gordo had discovered that he actually liked music. Sure, what he listened to wasn't exactly mainstream, but it was good nonetheless.  
  
So the gang continued to drive along, singing, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Alright, hope you liked this installment! Sorry it took so long! I had exams, then rehearsals, and what not. The next chapter should be posted soon. I'm not going to beg. but BE A RESPONSIBLE READER!! IF YOU READ THE STORY, REVIEW IT!! Hehe, alright. Thanx 


	4. Unpacking

Ok I'd just like to apologize for taking SUCH a long time in updating. My life has kind of been crazy for the past few months, but I think it's ok now. we'll see. Anyway, please forgive me and I hope you enjoy the next installment! 3 always Toxik  
  
Unpacking  
  
Lizzie stared at the open suitcase in front of her. Clothing was strewn around the room that she was staying in, and she just didn't know where to start. With a sigh she began hanging up her things in the closet and hoping that she hadn't left anything necessary at home. This trip was important to her. This was going to be it. As she picked up a pile of tee-shirts and mechanically folded them and placed them in the drawer one by one she started thinking about Gordo. It had all gotten so complicated, and she had tried to ignore it. When she saw him idly staring into her eyes, or accidentally brushing the hair from her face she knew it was more than instinctual friendly actions. When he hugged her she always knew he held her there for that extra moment and was always reluctant to let go. But now that they were going to be together for four whole days without supervision, she knew she had to face the truth. Not just the truth that there was something behind the façade that Gordo showed, but also the truth about her feelings for him. She put the last shirt in the drawers and shoved her suitcase off of the bed. She sunk down into the plush comforter and lay there thinking of him. Not even Miranda knew about her feelings... or at least she didn't think Miranda knew. Closing her eyes his grey-blue eyes popped into her head, and even without him there he could feel them searching her soul. She always made excuses to find "a weird piece of paper" or something in his unruly brown curls. She never wanted to be away from him, and having him just in the next room was comforting to her. The mere thought of his presence warmed her as she smiled to herself.  
  
"Lizzie. do you want help?" asked a familiar voice from the doorway.  
  
Lifting her head, she looked at the person to whom the voice and her heart belonged.  
  
"Mmm.?" she said in confusion only half hearing what he said. She was too much entranced by looking at his perfect face with his lop-sided grin that betrayed him. She knew he wanted to be around her just as much as she wanted to be around him. He walked in and flopped on the bed next to her.  
  
"Do you want help? Or are you just tired from the trip?" he asked.  
  
"Oh.I'm almost done." she said, Hlooking at the big mess in her room.  
  
He cocked his eyebrow and looked at her quizzically.  
  
"Your definition of 'almost done' fascinates me," he replied with the grin never leaving his face.  
  
"Oh shut up!" Lizzie exclaimed thwapping him on the shoulder playfully. As her hand came into contact with his toned muscles she felt a shiver run down her spine and electricity flow through her veins. She didn't let it show though. She couldn't. It wouldn't be fair to Miranda or to Gordo. He deserved someone better. not that she wouldn't be jealous. She just figured he should be able to get the girl of his dreams and not some high school puppy-love crush. Not to mention she could never bear losing him.  
  
"You wanna play rough with me? Do you? Do you?!" jerked her out of her train of though, and she was suddenly attacked by a fit of tickling. He had rolled over and was tickling her mercilessly, taking in her every feature as juvenile ecstasy played across her features. He pinned her on the bed, both hands above her head and straddled her so she couldn't move.  
  
For a moment she held her breath thinking, "This is it! He's going to kiss me.."  
  
But instead of kissing her he breathlessly said, "I got you."  
  
With that he jumped off of her and sauntered out of the room, but before he left he made sure to turn around at the doorway and add, "By the way. if you need anything.. I'm sure you'll know where to find me."  
  
A sigh escaped her lips as she felt a lingering tingle in all the places that he had come into contact with her. Lying there still she closed her eyes again and lost herself in thought.  
  
Right before she drifted to sleep she whispered to herself, "This is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.. God, let me die with him at my side." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Ok I hope you all enjoyed that. Sorry it was a bit of fluffy filler that I wanted to put in there while I work on the more plot filled next chapter! Um. please read, review, and make sure to give me any feedback you have! I'd love it! Happy reading!!!! 


End file.
